Street-railway-switch opening and closing device.



PATENTED OCT. so, 1906.

E. A. PETERSON. STREET RAILWAY SWITCH OPENING AND CLOSING DEVICE.

APPLIGATlON FILED JAN. 6, 1906.

E. I 74 inc .ses.

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No. 834,403. v

UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

Y EPHRAIM A. PETERSON. OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed January 6, 1906. Serial No. 294,931.

Patented Oct. 30, 1906.

To all whom, itmay concern.-

Be it known that I, EPHRAIM A. PETER- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing ,at Rockford, in the county of Winnebago and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Street-RailwayeSwitch Opener and Closer, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for operating street-railway switches direct from the car while the same is in motion, and thus open or closing the switch by means of pressing a buttonon the platform of the car.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the switch, showing the construction of the same as bein open to let the car pass by to the left. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the rail to which part of the mechanism is applied, Fig. 3 showing a side elevation-of part of the car on the rails just entering the switch and opening the same, Fig. 4 showing an end view or a vertical section, Fig. 5 showing an end view of the connecting-rod with its V- shaped catch-block.

Slmilar letters refer to similar parts throughout the different views.

r The cable or chain A, running through holes B B B B in the rails on the rollers D D D D, forming a rigid connection with the switch-tongue P by means of screws or bolts F F or similar parts, the cable or chain A being run through blocks 0 C and tightening the said blocks by means of set-screws Q Q, Fig. 3, the buttons G G are vertically operated in sleeves or bushings H H, and also being connected to the vertical rods U U, and the said rods being heldin place by braces I I and collars N N with pins R B through the said collars as to prevent the shafts or rods U U from twisting, and collars N N alsobeing provided with set-screws or pins, connecting-rods K K, provided with Vblocks or catch-blocks L L, always remaining alittle above the rails until the buttons G G are'being pressed with the foot shortly before entering the switch, then the blocks L L are far enough down so as to catch the blocks C C and running the cable A forwards which opens or closes the switch, which button you happen to press, and when the cable has been moved as far .as the switch will allow then the connecting-rods K K give against the springs M M, and the blocks L L slide over the blocks C C and retains the switch open or closed whichever may be desired.

Fig. 2: Holes B B B B are bored through the rails-large enough so as to let the cable A pass through freely and run on rollers D D D D, the said rollers being supported by brackets E E E E, which are screwed or bolted fast to the rails. Cable A must be as far down as possible next to the ground or brickwork, whichever the street may be constructed of or surrounded by.

Fig. 5: V- blocks or catchblocks L L pinned to the connecting-rods K K, said connecting-rods being slotted at the upper ends and pinned to the vertical rod U U.

Figs. 3 and 4: The springs J J, spiral compression ty e, are around the rods U U and supported y the collars N N and braces I I.

Fig. 4: End view showing two buttons G G, both being constructed the same, meaning that these are two press-buttons and combinations thereof on each end or platform of the car placed directly over the cable A, just outside of the rails, so as to let the catch-blocks L L come in contact with the cable-blocks O 0 when the buttons G G being pressed and blocks L L on their lowest positions, thus moving the cable A forward and operating the switch P, which was explained before.

Having thus described my improvements, I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. In a street-railway, the combination with main-line rails and a movable switchpoint, of a cable connected to said switchpoint and passing over rollers supported on brackets secured to said main-line rails, blocks on said cable, a car, vertical rods on said car, and trip-blocks on said rods to engage the blocks on said cable and move said switch-point, substantially as described.

2. In a street-railway, the combination with main-line rails and a movable switchpoint, of a cable having both ends adjustably secured to said switch-point, and the webs of said main-line rails having holes through which said cable passes, substantially as described.

3. In a street-railway, the combination with main-line rails, a cable having blocks connected to a movable switch-point, and a car havin vertical rods, working in a vertical direction and held up by coiled springs, braces secured underneath the car, fiat springs secured to said braces, and the said rods having pivoted joints, said rodsrbeing thrown back against said flat springs to ermit trip-blocks secured to the lower en s of said vertical rods, to pass over said cableblocks when said switchpoint has been moved, substantially as set forth.

4. In a street-railway, the combination with main-line rails, a movable switch-point connected to a cable having blocks, and a car having vertical rods, said rods provided with collars, and having trip-blocks on their lower ends, said collars prevented from twisting by pins secured to the car and said collars being in a vertical direction on said pins, preventing said rods from twisting, said vertical rods provided with press-buttons, said buttons working in sleeves, said sleeves secured to the car, one of said tri blocks engaging one of said cable-bloc is when said button is pressed to engage the aforesaid block with one of the cable-blocks to open the said switch, and when the button on the opposite side is pressed so as to engage the second trip-block with the cableblock on the opposlte side to close the switch, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EPHRAIM A. PETERSON.

Witnesses:

DEWEY S. KNAPP, JOHN J. ANDREWS. 

